Honda CB400NA Superdream - new money puddle.

[Bryanj]

From memory there is a plate either side of the frame bolted on with a bolt through all three Ted

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Oh I forgot, the double triangular top bracket, there is me thinking it was an engine removal part!
Thanks Bryan.

[Bryanj]

Ted you are getting as forgetrull as me-------who are you?

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Bryan, you are starting to sound like Her Indoors, every time I forget something she starts telling me it's the onset of AlkaSalter's Disease (sympathetic re-branding) anyway last week it was Wendy's 70th so I bought her (as per a gift list) a bottle of Bolly instead of our usual Cava or Frexinet. (In August I bought a bottle of Tattinger for our wedding anniversary that was still in it's box).

After conducting a wedding today when Wendy was back home late this afternoon she suggested we open the bottle of Tattinger to celibrate . I asked her if she preferred Tattinger or should I open the Bolly?
You never bought me any Bolly she replied, yes I did it was dam expensive. After a heated exchange of words I went into the garage to fetch the Bolly, it took me a good fifteen minutes of looking in all my hiding places to find the bottle that I forgot to give her.

What me being forgetfull...............I'll fetch my coat.

[Bryanj]

Only answer to that is who, what, where!!

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

This morning as Wendy has gone with some friends to watch Arsenal v Chelsea I had a fresh look at safely removing the front wheel.

I must have been too tired yesterday to see the obvious. Wheel is out, good tip from the SD site about putting some wood under the center stand to lift everything up - never thought of that.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Only the center stand left to remove plus the outer steering column races if on inspection they need replacing.

Then some serious degriming next week then I'll need to decide if it's powder coating (PC) or rattle can, might end up PC as the weather will be turning soon. If I go for PC then the damper bushes will need to come out.
 
.close to bare frame by Macabe Thiele, on Flickr

[Sesman]

If you don’t mind me saying so, please don’t rattle can the frame. Unless you intend to use 2K. I have yet to witness any rattle can solution that exhibits an appreciable level of durability. I accept I’ve led a sheltered life.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I spoke to Ken yesterday he pretty much convinced me to go for powder coating so that is going to most likely be the route I will go Phillip - I know it makes sense.

[Laverda Dave]

Ted, before spending a heap of cash restoring the bike please get the frame checked for alignment. The guy I used asks for the engine cases to be mounted in the frame along with the swing arm, shocks and rear wheel. He charges £100 (used to be £70 a couple of years ago but that's inflation). The only bike that didn't need a tweak was Ratty the 400/4 but all the other frames I've taken to him in the past including a 350 Morini, 250RSA and 400/4 were all slightly out of line. He did say that most mass production frames are never 100% when they leave the factory as they are mass produced in jigs and very rarely checked.
I would hate to spend £000’s restoring a bike only to find it doesn't handle properly on its first outing because the frame is bent.
Considering the age of the bike, number of previous owners and obvious hard life it's lead I personally would get it checked.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

TBH Dave that never occurred to me, that's probably something I should have done before I took it to bits as it was a runner & theoretically a rider. There is no obvious damage to the frame etc.
The wheels rotate true with no sign of any buckles.
I'll ask my mate Neil who has the mental Turbo bike as he is in the bike trade.

Something that I do not like about the Superdream design is the top yoke being a flat bit of steel albeit with a lip, not a big block of alloy.
The bar holder just bolts on the steel plate from underneath with no top pinch bolts at the top, just top cap nuts.

[andy120t]

Dave - is £100  to check and straighten it as well?  Was that a spot on Watford?

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I have no understanding of how the frame is re- aligned if it's found to be bent. I understand 4 wheel alignment on a 4x4 as there are adjustable suspension arms on all four wheels. I've seen a body jig for when a chassis leg is replaced, that tends to be where a tacked in part is checked before and after full welding.

I wonder if it's on U-tube how they do it.

[K2-K6]

They literally bend it, ordinarily with hydraulic assistance, to "twist" it back into alignment if its distorted.

Look for "motoliner" jig, should bring up something.

[Bryanj]

Brute force and hydraulics is the answer Ted, you bend it back, usually pluss a little bit to account for spring in the metal